Emergency summit on future of NHS in Greater Manchester

Campaigners have called the summit to co-ordinate the fight to save A&E and other NHS services across all 10 local authority areas in Greater Manchester.

Campaigns in Bolton, Wigan, Tameside, North Manchester and Trafford - where the NHS was born - will link-up to plan their strategy and tactics in the battle to defend NHS services from threatened cuts.

But representatives from NHS campaigns in the remaining areas of the city region are also being invited so as to try and spread the campaign throughout Greater Manchester.

It takes place at 12 noon, on Saturday February 16 at Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS.

Among the speakers at the summit will be Dr John Lister, information director of the national Health Emergency campaign and Dr David Wrigley, a GP, who is a member of the Keep Our NHS Public campaign group (KONP).

The emergency summit has been organised by Greater Manchester Association of Trade Union Councils (GMATUC) and Greater Manchester KONP.

Campaigners are fighting to save all NHS facilities, including A&E units, in Greater Manchester.

Local campaigners who have been invited include: Save Trafford General, 38 Degrees, Save Bolton & Wigan A&E campaigns, Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public, NHS Support Federation, Socialist Health Association, Campaign Against Manchester Ambulance Privatisation, NHS user groups, Greater Manchester's Local Health Scrutiny Committees, Health Service Unions. MPs and councillors are also invited..

GMATUC President Stephen Hall said: "We want to build a broad-based mass campaign to defend local A&E units and NHS services which are now under threat in the name of efficiency and cost-cutting.

."The NHS belongs to local people - we urge them to come and join us in the fight to save vital life-saving services which we all value. The NHS is a much-loved public service. Now the public need to stand up to save it. People power can save our NHS."